Our culture emphasizes teamwork and an unqualified commitment to excellence and is a key reason for our success. T&K was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2017 among the most highly recognized law firms in the U.S.

Thompson & Knight is a growing Firm that recognizes the importance of hiring qualified lawyers, paralegals, and administrative professionals who can contribute to the growth of our practice and support our diverse client base. We are committed to the success of each employee and the impact they have on the future growth of Thompson & Knight.

Product Liability Litigation

Practice Contacts

Many of our trial lawyers focus on defending suits brought by a single plaintiff or in large multi-party class actions alleging harm incurred by products designed, manufactured, or distributed by our clients. Through the law's evolution from negligence to strict liability to failure to warn, our trial lawyers have defended product manufacturers and suppliers, including many national and international manufacturers and distributors.

Our trial lawyers have collectively resolved more than 10,000 cases throughout Texas and the U.S. They serve as National, Regional, and Local Trial Counsel for numerous Fortune 500 manufacturers of various industrial and consumer products. Our attorneys have the necessary skill and experience in handling these complex cases, having efficiently managed cases involving millions of documents, hundreds or even thousands of plaintiffs, multiple defendants, and numerous lawyers.

We received a first-tier ranking in Dallas for Product Liability Litigation in the 2018 "Best Law Firms" directory published by U.S. News-Best Lawyers®.

Practice Contacts

Experience

We obtained summary judgment for a large manufacturer on a $23 million property damage and loss of use claim arising from a plant explosion.

We served as lead counsel for a Fortune 100 company in a wrongful death product liability trial in Los Angeles, California. Plaintiffs' attorneys had tried more than 20 prior cases involving analogous products, securing multimillion-dollar verdicts. After two weeks of trial, Plaintiffs agreed to accept our client's offer.

We obtained a significant trial victory as lead counsel for a Fortune 100 company in a trial in Central Illinois. The client's Regional Counsel served as second chair in the trial, which involved claims of corporate conspiracy and product liability. Prior to this trial, the same plaintiff's counsel had obtained some five plaintiff verdicts against our client in similar cases in the same county. This was the first Central Illinois trial in which our attorney served as lead counsel. After an almost three-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of our client.

We represented a major manufacturer in product liability and negligence lawsuits claiming millions of dollars in damages. Due to Thompson & Knight's argument of the Meritor case (dealing with manufacturers' indemnification of dealers in a product liability lawsuit) before the Texas Supreme Court, we were able to settle the plaintiff's claims for a fraction of the claimed damages, limit the exposure to the indemnity claims of the retailers/distributors, and eliminate the client's future indemnity exposure.

We served as national coordinating counsel for a global chemical company in the defense of their personal watercraft product liability claims in North America.

We represented one of the world's largest and most diversified health care product manufacturers in regional product liability cases.

We represented a pharmaceutical manufacturer as local counsel in defending numerous product liability claims asserted once a particular medication was withdrawn from sale to the general market.

We represented a medical device manufacturer in defending numerous product liability claims filed after certain lots of the product were voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer; many of the claims were disposed of by summary judgment.

We represented a major Canadian chemical company in the coordination of all product liability claims in North America.

We defended a Fortune 100 national manufacturer of seat belts in two month-long jury trials against claims that paraplegia resulted after ejection from a vehicle.

We secured a dismissal for a component part manufacturer in claims involving a bus accident resulting in a claimant crushed between two buses.

We secured a dismissal based on summary judgment motions for an automotive component part manufacturer in two U.S. District Court cases involving serious injury or death.

We secured a defense verdict in a U.S. District Court jury trial involving loss of fingers in a manufacturing equipment accident.

We obtained summary judgment for a product manufacturer in state court based on statute of repose against claims involving partial hand amputation.

We defended a national manufacturer of electrical equipment against claims of electrocution and burn injuries.

We defended manufacturers of consumer products, including electric saws, lawnmowers, and household items involved in shock injuries, electrocutions, or fires

We secured a dismissal of case on basis of jurisdiction for a product manufacturer and retailer against claims of serious burn injuries to a child and defended the case on two appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

We secured a defense verdict in a Texas state court jury trial against claims of loss of an eye allegedly caused by the client's industrial product.

We represented a manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride pipe against claims that leakage of natural gas caused an explosion in the plaintiff's home.

We secured a defense verdict for a component parts manufacturer client after a four-week asbestos trial of two deceased and four living plaintiffs.

We secured a favorable global settlement for 8,300 cases filed in Beaumont and Orange, Texas by two law firms with national reputations for their work in asbestos and tobacco cases. The settlement occurred on the eve of another month-long trial of the next group of 10 plaintiffs.